It's prime vacation season but a lot of people come home to dead or wilting plants. Thankfully, we found a pretty simple hack with tools you'll have at home to keep your plants hydrated while you're away!
All you need are pliers, a needle and a large plastic bottle with a cap.
Heat the needle over a stove, with a candle or with a lighter. Once it's hot, poke three holes in the bottle cap.
Fill the bottle with water, secure the cap and turn it upside down. The pressure creates a vacuum so very little water comes out. Then burrow the top of the bottle into your soil until it's stable. If you're having trouble keeping it upright, you can put a small stake next to the bottle and wrap a wire around them for extra stability.
You can use however many water bottles you think necessary, depending on how big your pot is and how much water the plant needs.
This hack works for two reasons: First, if the soil dries out it will pull more water from the bottle to keep itself moist. Second, when the air pocket at the top of the bottle heats up it will expand, pushing more water out of the bottle and into the soil.
Moving your plants into shadier parts of your deck or yard can also keep them from getting fried while you're away. Try this hack and you won't come home to brown plants!